“Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.” ― Benjamin Franklin

Are you on the job hunt yet? Have you been looking around to see if there are any job postings? There’s one type of job that you need to get in college, next semester.

I strongly advise that you apply for this job and go out of your way to get your foot in the door. This job will greatly help you out for the rest of your life.

What job is this? Anything in sales!

Why is this the best type of job?

Because it forces you to open your mouth and be social. We’re all naturally uncomfortable when it comes to speaking, dealing with strangers, and trying to sell something.

You don’t believe me? Walk into any bar. Young people will go from silent at the beginning of the night to completely rambunctious after a few drinks. Why? Because we all need alcohol to fuel our conversations. Unfortunately, you can’t drink at work. You have to force yourself to be social.

So why is sales so important? Because you’re going to have to sell yourself for the rest of your life. You have to sell yourself at:

  • Job interviews.
  • First dates.
  • Promotions.
  • Company meetings.
  • First interactions with the new director.
  • Your girlfriend’s family dinner.
  • To your parents.
  • At the gym.

Sales is key. If you can’t speak or find a way to promote yourself, you might never get ahead.

What skills should you try to master at this job?

So let’s say you find a job in sales. What’s next? What should you try to learn to help you out the rest of your life?

Public speaking.

Before you say anything, we all suck at public speaking. I had to throw that out there.

When you work in sales, you’re going to speak to the public. At first, you’re going to suck. As you work more and become comfortable in your role, you’ll eventually become better at this. This will in turn translate to your class presentations and future job interviews where the employer is putting you on the spot.

Conflict resolution.

How are you going to make that situation better with the pissed off customer? How will you calm down the obnoxious group of 19 year old dudes?

Conflict resolution and dealing with stress are HUGE in real life. Things happen. Not everything is always going to go in your favor. That’s normal, but how will you react? Will you crack under pressure or resolve the conflicts promptly?

Self-promotion.

As important as it is to be humble, we must also be wise enough to promote ourselves. Your turn will never come if you just wait for it. You have to get out there and speak. You have to let others know why they should invest any or money into you.

When you work in sales, you’re going to have to promote. It’s that simple. How will you promote? Are you even confident enough to promote yourself or something that you believe in?

What are some specific jobs here?

Anything in front line sales will work. You’re forced to be out there on the floor and interaction with people that have all sorts of questions.

The jobs in sales that have helped me the most personally are:

  1. Selling chocolates. I actually held this job in grade 8. It wasn’t very safe, but it forced me to go door-to-door and sell sweets to strangers.
  2. Personal training. Talk about promotion. You have to go up to someone bigger than you and convince them that they need your help. Give it a try!
  3. Blogging. The whole point of a blog is to sell yourself and your ideas. At first I didn’t have the confidence to promote anything. Now I do and love sharing my ideas with the world.

Are you ready to work in sales?

Martin Dasko

Martin Dasko